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Manila: Toxic chemicals on board a ferry that ran aground with more than 860 people last month in the central Philippines have not seeped out but officials said on Friday they would maintain a fishing ban in nearby waters.
The bodies of up to 600 people are believed to be trapped in the MV Princess of the Stars which capsized off Sibuyan island during a typhoon on June 21 in one of the worst maritime accidents in the Philippines.
"Experts noted no observable oil spill or environment pollution or fish kills within the vicinity of the shipwreck," Maria Elena Bautista, transportation undersecretary and head of a task force, told a news conference.
"There are no signs of contamination. But, we are not sure how long the packaging of the toxic chemicals and fertilisers would hold. "The fishing ban will be maintained around the 5-km radius of the shipwreck as a continuing precautionary measure."
Salvage operations
The vessel was carrying 10 metric tonnes of endosulfan, a highly toxic fertiliser, and about one tonne of pesticides besides about 250,000 litres of special fuel oil.
Bautista said salvage operations to recover the deadly cargo would not start until August 4. Sulpicio Lines Inc, the ferry's owner, was expected to sign a $7.5 million (Dh27.5) deal with a private firm to refloat the ship.
Bautista said it would take about 30 days to remove the ship's toxic cargo once the salvage was under way before operations to retrieve the bodies of an estimated 500 people could begin.
Only 56 people are known to have survived the disaster, while around 200 bodies have been recovered so far, either washed ashore or fished out from the sea.
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